Machine for forming cable-armor.



APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21. 1909.

I Patented June 2, 1914 2 SHEETS SHEBL 1.

lNVENTOR C/M FILES T PRATT WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY G. T. PRATT.

MACHINE FOR FORMING CABLE ARMOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.21,1009.

31, 9 1 9 Patented June 2, 1914.

2 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR GHARLEJ 17 PRATT 2, may M222 ATTORNEYS UNTE) SKATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. IRATI, 0'15 FRANKFURT, NEW' YORK, ASSlt'GNOR 1'0 THE PRATT CHUCK COMPANY, OF FBJANKFCMRT, NEW YORK. A CORPORATION OF YORK.

MACHINE FOR FOItIiIING CABLEJiRll/IUR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Application filed August 21. 1909. fierlal No. 513,985.

To all w'iiomif 'm 0 concern Be it known that l, CHARM-1S T. Pua'r'r, citizen of the United Statesgresiding at Frankfort, in the county oi. l'ltlldlnl and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming Cable-Armor, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the aeconipanyinp drawing.

My invention relates to an improved l'lltl' chine. for forming cable armor, and l declare that the following is a. lull, clear, concise and exact description thereot' sutllcient to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the acoompai'iying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout.

The invention has to do with an improved machine for forming av flexible armor for flexible. cables, which armor is formed by a spiral winding about such cables of a 1netallic strip of a form wherein one edge. overlaps another when given a spiral form and where allowance is made to place one strand of the spiral against another, so that a given length of the armor may bend freely with out parting at the point of overlap. I show a. particular form oi such armor formed in the manner described of a band or ribbon of metal, which in its crosssection approximates an $-torn1, as will be. seen in the drawings.

I am aware that various means have been proposed for winding such a band about. a cable, but in such art the ribbon customarily given a curved form from edge to edge before it is wound onto the cable or strand to be inclosed in the. armor. it is evident "that the tendency in coilinp one st rand upon another in this spiral tends to flatten the cross-sectional corrugation or curve given the metal. It is also evident that. there is a strain upon the metal in making this spiral so that frequently it is found necessary to have metal of greater ductility or pliability than it is most desirable for wear.

My invention consists, in one feature thereof, of forming this corrugated band in a spiral by means which greatly reduces the friction on the band as it is given the spiral form, and whereby a hand oi? stiller metal may be handled and formed. It also provides for the maintaining of the longitudinal curve or corrugation in the ribbon and which is put in the ribbon before it is given the spiral form. [his is done by means which act while the spiral is being formed to keep the longitudinal {:{ilillfltllloll ot' the form given or, it anything, to give it a more distinct: corrugation. so that l am able not only to handle a stiller metal, but also insure that the product has the desired corrugation as first given it in the forming rueeluinism.

In the drawings Figure l is a plan view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a side view oi? the machine; l ig. 3 is a detail view of the spiral forming: block, parts broken away; Fig. 4 is a middle vertical view of the block, parts broken away, taken from the side where the metal ribbon enters; Fig. i; is a cross-sectional view in the opposite direction from Fig. l parts brolten away; Fig. 6 is a sec tional view on the line (3-43 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 shows a modified construction of race'way, and Fig. 8 shows a modified form of antifriction members.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 represents the table of the machine, with standards 52.

3 and 4 represent standards on the table, having joiu'nal-bloeks for the shafts 6 and '7. The shafts have mounted at one end wheels 8 and 9 for forming; the metal strip which is passed between them. At the op posits end, the shafts are connected with gears 10 and 11. On the lower shaft. is mounted a beveled gear-wheel 12 which meshes with the gear wheel 13 mounted on the shaft 14 at. the other end of which is mounted pulleys 15 and 16. By the application of power the lower shaft is turned in one direction and the upper shaft in'the opposite direction, such directions being determined. to turn the forming wheels 8 and 9 so as to feed the ribbon therethrough to the forming block. At the end of the shaft 6 is mounted a geanwhcel 18 which meshes with gear-wheel 19 mounted on shaft 20.

The shaft is formed with an ollset 21 at its outer end, having a stud 22 to carry a reel 2?; for the wire to be covered by the armor. It will thus appear, by application of power the two, forming wheels or die Wheels are rotated to feed material therebetween Wherehv it is formed and passed to the winding block or die 25 and that said power operates to rotate the reel 23 so that the wire into the cable to be formed ne rate of speed that about it.

i block is shown in Figs. 3, 42 1 he 2 .ounted at one side thereof .lslnroed n nb'erQG (Fig. 1) through n od and confined in place to be ed lllLO the cable to be formed iibout it. ibis block shown as made 11 and 31, adapted to be sccureo to tlicr end having an 9 .zll the ribbon is fed.

is turned the cable 13 opening Portion as :1 bore 2 berxhrough of a diameter slightly exccedi g that oi the cable armor. Around this bore and commencing at a point near the opening for the ribbon'into the bore. u spiral cutout is made. which in crosssection is about the form Or a quarter circle and forms part of the seat for the roller friction balls. This cut-out starts at 2, point near the surface of the block, as seen at 34 in 8 and indicated by ball 3'1", 4, and slants upwardly it bore through the block. The degree of this slant deterniinel by the pitch to be given to the errnor. This cutout is indicated by its "orntition bein such as to lease the edge to operate as a. container on that side for the bulls wlucb fill the groove. A. re-

tziincr plate is provided and shown at 40 which has one face a peripheral ring whose outer edge iii of spiral form correl of the bore M V, .lorni Well spending to the has .1 cutout :it for the be] as to have c i a form to operate in cong'unction with .c aforementioned edge to hold the bulls in the groove or track is made. This retainer plate has a peal spiral shoulder at 13 which engages go of the ribbon or bend and forms i product passing out throu ii 0 e6. bore lei, as seen in Fig. p :S'CCl into the block with zonal form from edge to edge icuiurly in l 'j. 4, the hollowed ling: into coznuct with the balls .l in the cores, so as the ribbon round the interior of the block it by the wall 4:3 of the retainer lie hollowed portion ll) of the ribbon on the bulls which travel with it unl the spiral, these balls taking up the tic-n which would otherwise retard or prevent the passage of the strip of ribbon, "1e ribbon in the form with town. It is the lll ieih lfln all in 'c :1 continuous run .[u Hlulinl the bore. In the 16 from the bottom as seen in Flgi 4, ed bf, dotted lines of any given size goes around the and beerin Fig. 3 to cut into the be. rrice and pro ride a lay-pass for the balisi which, when. they reach that opening, are deflected into has a bypass. 49 which is formed in con tinuation of the by-nsss 48, as seen in Fig. 4. The bypass 48 in the main or larger portion of the block has such an angle as to clear the edge of-the ribbon when it is fed in. The lay-pass 1 9 in the lower portion is formed to carry the balls backward tothe starting point Where they pass up the inclined bottom in the smaller portion of the block and onto the inclined bottom of the track in the larger portion Where they are again engaged by the ribbon and with it pass around the spiral. This lower block is secured to the main portion by bolts 50 and the retainer plate is secured to both blocks by the screws 51, While the Whole block is held by bolts 52. In Fig. Y I show a difier ent return track for the balls, which starts from about the some point already shown, but instead of going downward and across goes upward and around, being cut into the-block in proper direction to bring the balls again to the starting point.

As one modification of the device I show a form in. which I use a series of friction wheels 5-5 instead of the friction balls. These have studs (by which tbey'are carried in the block) in holes 57, each Wheel being given e tilt corresponding to the pitch. The niein fea-tures of the constructionkzre the same, the spiral rim of the retainer plate having a like shoulder as already shown. to guide the ribbon through the forming block. A plurality of Wheels are shown the periphery of each which is form similar to that of the cross section of the ribbon in contact with. it each Wheel taking up the friction and at the some time assisting in the forming of the finished product with its longitudinal corrugation, formed in a flexible cable about Wires 61.

It will be understood that the forming block may be made of a single piece or built up, being shown as the latter for convenience in illustration and that in the formshown in Figs. 7 and 8 a counterpart is presupposed, corresponding with the features shown. It will also be within the meclianics skill to provide a duplication of reel mechanisms for a gang of Wires, if desired.

It will be apparent that various RIC-(life: cations may be made in the application and principle disclosed, and I have given but one illustration with certain modifications.

Having described my inve lion, What I claim as new and desire to secure Letters Patent, is:

cable armor,

l. in a machine for forming orzning wheels adapted to give a certain emme curvature in cross seciion in a, metallic strip passed thercbet'ween, a clie adapted to receive seicl metallic strip as same emerges from said Wheels a spiral passageway in said. clie, an endless passageway for ball bearings, Where by said ball hearings in eaicl passageway may Contact with said metallic strip as same is passed lhreugh said first i'nentionecl passageway in said (lie and give said metallic strip an increased curvature in cross section, sub stantially as described.

2. iii mecliiee )f the character described, a forming bleel, EL lJOlB lemme/rec said blcck for the passage 0i? 'ii'res e1 epiml essegeway in sziiifl block for lme pa e T9 or :1, metallic bzini'i, whereby "20 dcje farming; one lie-cm i 2 u armor and wires, a shoulelf seiel spiral by 510 iiiein'lein J, .14 armor strip, sub

1 seicl ecirilierl,

character leeeribed, the QGIHlJllliLlZlOil. 0;; liloelii, 2i more transve' eeid. bleel; lei llie peesege of WilGS, a spiral pas U e5" in said lalecla: less like pessege e15. metallic benefit, whereby to armor said Wires, {L shoulder forming one lmunlei'y of said spiral pessegevmY t0 censlpitute e' or said iiirmcr banal, eiiliiliiictien balls in eeicl pnseagewey whereby 3J0 iimintein e means Sillll wiies asubstenbielly (leecril'iel.

l. In an; eemci' meeliine 11f llie character KlGSCI'llTJBiL illlfl eemliiizetien. of fee-ailing guide wheels, adapted he give a eeri-ziiii cur in cross section to a metallic strip 3' llllGIQbBiWQJIl, a die a iaptecl i0 metallic strip es same emerges from said wheels, a spiral passageway in siiicl die, an endless passageway in said (lie for liell ings, Wnereuv said bell bearings me; c with said metallic strip and 5; given degree of curvature in cite 5. in an armor machine of lziie described, the combination all 1" Wheels, adapted in give ll. certain in cross section w e meteliic adapted to receive seicl metallic same emerges "from between 5 wheels, e spiral eseegewny iii whereby to coil saidlmn i about of Wires. and an endless passage into and. out of said spiral pe the passage of bell bearings maintain the given curvature tion to said mefiellic baml, described.

6. In a device ofthe elm e block, spirally arrange for Che passage of e sir? eege'way in said block here in said pessmgew strip and giving the cross-section.

In testimony where signature in the re bee iieeciribecl, (wee therein celled, a, pasliflifilliOll men lJQTili ilg on said :1 e given form in 

